Unexpected But Not Unwelcome
by TheJigokuShoujo
Summary: After a series of bad breakups, Sakura Haruno has decided she is off men. But she finds herself being drawn to an unlikely man. Can she keep away or will she have her heart broken again? Sakura x Itachi


Author's Note: Hi! Thank you for clicking on my story and for maybe reading it :D Please enjoy reading about the love life of Sakura Haruno! I'll do my best to update at least monthly but I can't promise anything to don't get too upset if it takes awhile! Read on!

Disclaimer: Seriously, would I be writing fanfictions if I owned Naruto? Yeah, no.

Enjoy!

**Unexpected But Not Unwelcome**

Sakura was at it again. There she was, lounging in the bath with a half full glass of wine, or empty depending on your outlook on life, in her hand and an empty bottle next to her. The lights were dimmed and the scent of lavender floated through the room. Her nails were painted with a fresh coat of cherry red. A recently devoured carton of chocolate ice cream had been tossed in the trash.

It was the perfect home break-up remedy, with free shipping and handling. A remedy Sakura had been forced to use five times this year alone. The latest was another medic at the hospital, a man named Shune. And, as always, it wasn't her it was him. They needed to break-up because he needed time to figure out who he was. He would always cherish their time together.

"What a load of bullshit," Sakura sighed, downing the rest of her wine. He had been figuring it out during their month together with another woman. The cheating bastard. She'd learned all this about two hours ago and had been drinking and pampering ever since. It was another blow to the heart and she wasn't sure she could handle another.

Starting to feel sleepy, Sakura pulled herself out of the tub and wrapped a white towel around her body. Her bathroom was rather plain with light purple walls. It had one shower and tub combination and the other bathroom basics. It was a true one person bathroom. Sakura felt herself tearing up and wiped her eyes quickly.

God, she hated men. She grabbed a bottle of moisturizer and rubbed it on her freshly shaved legs. No, that wasn't quite true, she didn't hate all men. Just the ones who lead you on and use you. And emotionless jerks. Oh yeah, she hated all of those men, which left about one percent of the attractive male population. Sakura sighed again and got up, walking over to the mirror.

This was it. Shune had been the last straw. From now on it was just herself, her work, and her alcohol cabinet. It would be a lonely life, but she could handle that better than getting her heart smashed again and her trust betrayed. She didn't need a man.

Sakura dragged a brush through her pink hair. It didn't seem quite fair that all her friends had someone while she was stuck making pacts with her reflection. Naruto had the not quite as shy Hinata as his companion for life. The ever enthusiastic Rock Lee had somehow snagged the weapon mistress Ten-ten. Even Sasuke Uchiha, her old stoic love, had steady a girlfriend. And there was little old Sakura Haruno, married to her work.

The jounin put the brush back down, inspecting her face in the mirror. Why couldn't she keep a guy? She was pretty enough, expect maybe the bubblegum hair. Her personality was pleasant, minus the slight temper. Okay not slight. She had been known to punch unruly patients or perverts through walls at the hospital. Sakura glanced at the empty wine bottle by the bath. Alright, she'd admit it. She also drank like Tsunade but she was Sakura's mentor. And ninjas often need alcohol to cope so that couldn't exactly turn a guy off. Not only that, but she was also highly skilled in the field of medicine and there was a fan club dedicated to her. Of course, many of those men weren't quite date material.

"Even so I always end up with some kind of jerk," Sakura grumbled, "But it doesn't matter anymore. No more men, no more dating. Zero." She detached herself from the mirror and walked towards the bedroom of her small apartment. The apartment was a normal one person flat with a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen connected to the living room. It was impeccably clean but Sakura didn't spend much time here anyways. The wine was finally starting to make its way to her head as her spirits lightened and her judgment sank. Much better. She could deal without Shune. Screw men.

With a feeling of strong determination, Sakura slipped on pajamas and crawled into bed.

Sakura awoke early the next morning to make it for her hospital shift. The jounin pulled her nightgown off and put on her medic uniform: a black pencil skirt and a white button down top. She brushed her unruly, and a bit damp, hair quickly before pulling it up into a high ponytail. After staring at her face, the medic decided to put on some make up to hide her baggy eyes. She looked decent enough, hotter than most days, but not quite as energetic as usual. She'd have to make do.

Breathing deeply, Sakura grabbed her coat and headed out of her lonely apartment into the crisp air. She glanced at her watch. 7:10. She had five minutes.

"I guess a leisurely walk to clear my head and prepare is out of the question." Using the tiniest bit of chakra to help, Sakura propelled herself towards the hospital, a good three minute full power sprint from her house. With her mind distracted by thoughts of Shune and her loneliness, she found herself avoiding close collisions with various poles and buildings along the way. It was going to be a long day. When she reached the door, Sakura gave herself a moment to collect her emotions.

"Sakura-chan!" Oh, perfect.

"Hey Naruto! Hi Hinata," she said, turning towards the happy couple and plastering a smile on her face. The world's most in love couple had to show right after another one of Sakura's break-ups. The universe must have it out for her. The Hyuuga heir waved a bright hello and Naruto's smile beamed at Sakura.

"So how have you been?" Sakura sighed. She didn't feel like talking about how she was right now, not to people who haven't decided to swear off the opposite sex.

"I'm not great, but I'm kinda cutting it close for work," the medic smiled, all but sprinting through the doors into the hospital, "So I'll see you!" She walked into the busy lobby, skirting around patients and loved ones. A few nurses waved hello as Sakura headed down the hallways to her office. Hopefully Shune wouldn't show up near her area of work today. He might be a bastard, but he still hurt her.

"Sakura!" The pink haired woman looked up to see her mentor walking towards her, wearing her Hokage robes. A real smile grew on Sakura's face. Tsunade understood her through and through. They'd been friends for awhile and since Sakura spent so much time working, they saw each other often. Many Konoha residents said the two were much alike in personality and liquor holding abilities.

"Morning Tsunade-shishou, is it too early to start drinking?" The Hokage gave her a questioning look, handing her a chart.

"You have a physical to take care of. Rough night?" Sakura nodded.

"Break-up. Shune cheated on me," she explained, sighing for the umpteenth time. Tsunade cringed a little, secretly plotting a thorough teaching to a certain medical ninja later in the day.

"You want to take an early day? You work enough hours anyways." Sakura shook her head, waving offhandedly as she left towards the physical rooms. She could get through the day. Shune was just some lowly scum, a man she could throw through a wall if she wanted to. Yet she still felt like crap.

"Cus I'm still alone. No bad Sakura. You don't need men. Men suck," she muttered, walking into the room where her patient was. "Stupid men."

"Are we all really that bad?" Oh shit. Sakura looked up, realizing who her patient was. Itachi Uchiha. Just perfect. An emotionless jerk who happens to be one on the list of men to avoid. She breathed in and worked a fake smile onto her face.

"No, but most of you are, Uchiha-san." Sakura glanced again at the oldest Uchiha son leaning against the opposite it wall. His raven hair was in its usual ponytail starting at his neck. He wore the usual navy blue ninja pants and a basic black shirt. Even in her hating men state of mind, she couldn't deny that he was quite attractive. Much more attractive than Shune. Stupid Shune. Stupid men who dumped her so far this year. Stupid lonely-

"Sakura." The medic shook her head, finally realizing Itachi had been calling her name for awhile, focusing back to the real world. Her patient was staring at her and for a moment she thought she saw genuine concern breaking through his cold exterior. All right, she was definitely losing it.

"Sorry, my mind isn't focused today. Now, just a routine physical? Nothing broken or crushed?"

"Yes, just a basic physical. It seems I'm overdue." Itachi watched the medic carefully, taking in her slightly reddened eyes and the slump in her posture. Something was off about her today and he couldn't help but wonder what. He'd always found her appealing, always finding himself drawn to her at the various parties or weddings he'd seen her at. The jounin was one of the few people Itachi cared for. How Sasuke had turned her down so many times, he could not figure out.

"Mhm, it has been a few years," Sakura tsked, slipping a white coat on while reading his medical history, "A man in his twenties can't be too careful." Shune was in his twenties too… God what was wrong with her? She could feel the tears starting to well up in her emerald eyes. She breathed deeply and tried to focus again. Itachi, meanwhile, had been studying her. Something was definitely off.

"Alright, let's get started," Sakura motioned for the older ninja to sit on the metal doctor's table. She grabbed a stethoscope and put it around her neck before walking towards him.

"So, how has the ANBU life been treating you, Uchiha-san," she asked, testing his reflexes. She could feel his gaze on her, resisting the urge to meet it. She didn't need a man, she didn't need a man.

Itachi shrugged at her question. "Same as always, taking all my time and keeping me from home. How has work been here?"

Sakura moved up to check his throat and eyes. "Busy and time consuming. Open wide." She felt oddly comfortable being so close to the Uchiha. They'd only talked every once in awhile, mostly at Naruto and Hinata's wedding. "Okay, close. Follow my finger. How's the younger Uchiha been?" Sakura moved to his side, checking his ears.

"Madly in love. He's thinking of proposing soon." He watched Sakura, seeing her chest heave as she exhaled. She moved back to his file, writing on his chart. Yes, she totally needed to go to a wedding or engagement party and watch couples dance and love each other. She mumbled, "Stupid men", under her breath before turning back to her patient.

"Alright, shoes off. Only thing left is weight and height. Then you are free to go," she smiled. He nodded, slipping off his shinobi shoes and got off the cold table. Sakura followed, instructing him against the ruler on the wall to check his height. She tried hard not to blush as she moved closer to him, standing on her toes to read the height. She needed to resist. She could not get her heart broken again.

"It's not fair," she murmured, directing him towards the scale. He elegantly lifted one eyebrow, hearing her words.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Sakura looked up, startled, just now realizing she'd spoken out loud. She looked up into onyx and tried to put a shaky smile on her face.

"I'm fine." The Uchiha frowned, obviously not believing her words or the fake smile on her face. He grabbed her wrist gently, pulling her slightly towards him.

"No you aren't. Something's wrong. You've been ranting about stupid men and flinched when I mentioned Sasuke's love. What's wrong?" Sakura blushed. No, she didn't need this. She didn't need to tell an almost stranger her problems. She could deal alone, just like she would be for the rest of her life. Sakura pulled her arm away, trying to calm herself. She quickly scribbled on Itachi's chart, taking her stethoscope off and headed towards the door.

"Well, Uchiha-san, you're perfectly healthy but I have more patients who need some care and nurses who needed consulting. I'm perfectly fine, no problems. Have a good day." She hurried out, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the wall, breathing hard. Stupid men!

Author's Note #2: Thank you for reading "Unexpected but not Unwelcome" and I hope you liked it! Please review :3


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